* * *
She needed a connection right now,a lifeline to reality, because this was all too unreal.
And he was who she had to hold onto, to ground her. The plane returned to steady flight. Or so she told herself, though she feared she had invented the turbulence in her capacity to fool herself and protect herself from believing she was capable of all manner of foolishness.
He smiled and the turbulence unsettled her again. This time she knew it was inner turbulence, the kind inspired by a magnificent promise in the smile of a hunky hero, the man who saved her friggin’ life.
Now she needed to save her own life or watch it all go down the crapper in one big flush. Her tidy existence, sans lover, could topple along with her reputation, career, and all her worldly goods if she didn’t get a grip. Why did she even get on this plane? This was a huge mistake.
“When I said I was leaving my house,” she said, getting back some equilibrium, “I was only going to a hotel. I never had any intention of leaving town, let alone flying across the country. We need to get back to LA. Now.”
The smile dissolved into a blank stare and she knew she needed to explain herself, but she needn’t have worried. He was a serious man and he took her seriously. Without question. Who did that?
“Tell me.”
There was no question in his tone, only command. The kind she couldn’t ignore, didn’t want to refuse.